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Show The Princess Elopes 1 By HAROLD McORATH Author of H "The Man or the Box," I "Heart and Mtika," Etc I (Coprrlsbt, 1U0&. Uobtti-JlerrlllCo.) SYNOPSIS. Arthur WnrrliiRton, Aincrlonn consul l ltarscliolt, ti'llH how reigning Uraiiil Uiiko attempts to forco his nclcc. I'rln-.csa I'rln-.csa Illldi-Kunlu, to marry l'rlni'O Dopple-klnn, Dopple-klnn, an old wldnwi-r. Vhlle rfilliiK liniHchiick In tho cuunlry nlKht overtakes lilm u nil ho fU'clm arcommoilntlnnH In a illlitplilntrri niBllc. Hero Im (liulw Print-ess IIIUU'Rnrdo and a friend, Hon.. Hetty Monro, of KiiKloiid. They detain him to wit iii's 11 mock innrrlnKe between the lirliiceHa and a disgraced army olllcer, Hlelnhock, ilono fur the purpose of foiling the Brand duke. Htelnhock attcmptH to klos tho princess nnd nhu In reHCiied by WarrlnKtnn. Stelnlmck disappear)! for Kood. Max BehnrfeiiHteln, an I1 Amerl-rnn Amerl-rnn friend of WnrrlnKton's reaches Il:ir-Hchelt. Il:ir-Hchelt. Warrington tell lilm of the princess. prin-cess. BchurfuiiHteln shows Warrington . u locket with a picture of a wuman In- lilo. It was on his neck when he, as a toy, was picked up anil adopted by his foster father, whoso namo ha was Riven. Ho believes It to bo n plcttiro of his mother. Tho erand duko announces to thu princess that sha Is to marry Dapple-klnti Dapple-klnti the. following week. DurluK a morn-I morn-I UK's ride sho plans to escape. She meets Hcharfonstcln. Ho finds a purse she has dropped but does not discover her Ideally. Idea-lly. Wnrrlncton entertains nt a public restaurant for a number of American medical students. Max arrives lato and relutes an Interesting bit of gossip to tho offect that tho princess has run nway from norschelt. He unwittingly offends a uutlvo olllcer nnd subjects himself to certain nrrest. Mux Is persuaded to take fine of tho American student's passports nnd escape. Tho grand duke discovers the escape, of tho princess. Bhe leaves a nntn say Ins sho has eloped. Hfforts are mailo to stop tho princess nt tho frontier. Hetty Mooro nskB for her passport. 8ho usks WnrrltiKton for asslstnnco In leaving leav-ing Hurschelt, and Invites lilm to call on her In London. Mnx finds the princess In the railway carriage. Hint accuses 1dm of following her. Ho returns to her tho purse, ho had found. It contained a thousand thou-sand pounds In bank notes. At the frontier fron-tier Max nnd tho princess nro arrested and tnken to Doppleklun's palace. Tho gramrduke nrrlvcs anil proposes thnt tho princess shall marry Doppleklnn nt onto. Tw ))opptoklnn refuses. CHAPTER XI (Continued). How tho girl's eyes sparkled! Slio . wits free. Tho odious alliance, would not take plnco. "Who Is that?" Everybody turned and looked nt Jinx. Ills arm was loveled In tho direction di-rection of a lino portrnlt In oil which hung suspended over tho fireplace. . Jinx was vory pnlo. "What's that to you?" snarled tho lirlnco. Ho was what wo Yankees cnll "hopping mad." Tho vaso was worth a hundred crowns, nnd ho nuvor could find n lent to replaco tho ono Just broken. "I hellovo I havo a right to know who that woman Is up thero." Max spoko quietly. As a matter ot fact ho was too weak to speak otherwise "A right to know? What do you mean?" demanded tho prlnco florcoly. "It Is my wife." With trombllng fingers Max pro-1 pro-1 liiccd his locket. "Will you look at this?" ho asked In a volco thnt was a bit shaky. Tho prlnco stopped forward and jerked tho locket from Max's hand. Hut tho moment ho saw tho contents Ills Jaw fell and ho rocked on his heels unsteadily and Btaggercd back toward tho duko tor support. "What's tho matter, prlnco?" asked tho duko anxiously. Aftor all Doppol-ltlnn Doppol-ltlnn was an old crony, nnd mayhap ho had been harsh with him. "Whero did you got that?" asked tho Mi' prlnco hoarsely. "I hnvo always worn It," answered . Max. "Tho chain thnt went with It originally will no longer fit my nock." "Arnholml . . . Duko! . . . cotno nnd look nt this!" feebly. "Good heaven!" cried tho duko. "It Is tho princess!" said Arnhelm In awed tonos. "Whcro did you got It?" demanded tho prlnco again. K"I was found with It around my V, neck." "Duko, what do you think?" asked tho agitated prlnco. "What do I think?" "Yes, This was around my son's neck tho day ho was lost. If this should bol . . . If It wuro possible)!" "What?" Tho duko looked from tho prince to tho man who had worn tho locket. Cortalnly thoro wnsn't any sign of likeness," Hut when ho looked at tho portrait on tho wall and then nt Max doubt grow In his eyes. They woro somowhat alike. Ho plucked nervously at his beard. "l'rlnco," said Max, "beforo heaven f bollovo that 1 may bo . . . your ion!" "My son!" Ily this tlmo thoy woro all tromen-tlously tromen-tlously excited nnd agitated and whlto; nil savo tho prlncoss, who was cazing ut Mnx with sudden glnilness In her eyes, whllo over hor cheoks thoro stolo tho phantom of n roso. If It wero truo! "hot mo toll you my story," said Nnx. (It Is not necessary for mo to repeat It.) Tho prlnco turned helplessly toward tho duko, but tho duko was equally L dazed. - "Ilut wo can't nccopt a story as proof," tho duko said. "It Isn't aa If bo wero 10 people. It wouldn't matter then, nut It's a future prince. I Let us go slow." I "Yes, lot us go slow," repeated tho prince, 1) rush I ut; his damp forehead. "Walt 11 moment!" snld Col. Am-liptm. Am-liptm. stepping forward. "Only ono thing will prove IiIb Identity to 111c; not nil the papers In tho wot Id can do It." ' "What do you know?" cried the prince, bewildered. "Something I havo not dared toll till this moment." miserably. "Curse It, you tiro keeping us walling!" wall-ing!" Tho duke kicked nhoitt tho shnttcred bits of porcelain. "I used to play with the tho young prince," began Arnhelm. "Your highness high-ness will recollect thnt I did." Arnhelm Arn-helm went over to .Max. "Tako off your coat." Max did so, wondering. "Holl up your alcove." Again Max obeyed, and his wonder grew, "See!" cried tho colonel In a high, unnatural volco, duo to' his unusual excitement. "Oh, thero can be no doubtl It Is your son!" Tho duko and tho prlnco bumped against each other In their mad rush to inspect Max's arm. Arnhelm's finger rested upon tho pccttllnr scar I hnvo mentioned. "Lord help us, It's your wlne-caso brand!" gasped tho duko. "iVy wlno case!" Tho prlnco wns al; most on tho vergo of tears. Tho girl Bat perfectly quiet. "Explain, cxplnln!" said Max. "Yes, yes! How did this come? put thero?" spluttered tho prlnco. "Your highness, wo your son wo wero plnying In tho wlno collars that day," stammered the unhappy Arnhelm. Arn-helm. "I saw . . . tho hot Iron ... I was a boy of no moro than llvo ... I branded tho prlnco on tho nrm. He cried so that I was frightened nnd ran nnd hid. When I went to look for him ho was gone. Oil, I know; It Is your son." "I'll tnko your word for it, colonel!" cried tho prlnco. "I said from tho first What Would He Do, This Big, Hand tome Fellow? thnt ho wnsn't bad-looking. Didn't I, princess?" Ho then turned embarrass-edly embarrass-edly toward Mux and timidly held out hlu hand. That was ns near sontlment as over tho father and tho son came, bpt It was genuine. "Ho, Btoward! Hans, you rascal, whero aro you?" Tho steward presently cntored, shading shad-ing Ills eyes. "Your highness called?" "That I did. That's Max como homo!" "Little- Max?" "Llttlo Mnx. Now, candles, and march yoursolf to tho packing collars. Off with you!" Tho happy old man slapped tho duko on tho Bhouldcr. "1'vo nn Idoa, Josef." "What Is It?" asked tho duko, nlso very well pleased with ovents, "I'll (ell you nil about It when wo got Into tho cellar." Hut tho nod to-ward to-ward tho girl and tho nod toward Max was a liberal education. "I am pardoned?" said Arnhelm. "Pardoned? My hoy, If I had an army I would mako you a genernl!" roared tho prlnco. "Como nlong, Josof, And you, Arnhelm! You troopors, out of horo, overy ono of you, and leave theso two young persons nlono!" Ah, how overythlng was changed! thought Mnx, as ho let down his sleovo and buttoned his cuff. A prlnco! Ho was a prlnco; he, Max Scharfensteln, cowboy, qunrtorback, trooper, doctor, was a prince! If It was n dream, ho was going to box tho oars of tho bellboy bell-boy who woko him up. nut It wasn't a dream; ho know It wasn't. Tho girl youndor didn't dissolve Into mist and disappear; Bho was living, living. Ho hnd now tho right to lovo nny ono ho chose, nnd ho did choose to lovo this beautiful girl, who, with lowered byes, was nervously plucking tho ends of tho pillow tassel. It was all changed for her, too. "Princess!" ho said a bit brokenly. "X am called Qrctrhon by my fr'onds." with a boldness that only 1 hulf disguised her re.1l timidity. What I would h do, this big, handsome fcl-j fcl-j low, who hnd turned out to bo a prince, I fnlry-tnio wise? "Grolchen? I like that bettor than I Illhlcgnrdo; It Is less formal. Well, l then, Gretchon. I can't explain It, but , this new order of things has given mo n tremendous backbone." Ho crossed the. room to her side. "You will not ' wed my my father?" j "Never In all this world!" slipping ! I around the table, her eyes dim like tho bloom on the grape. Sho ought not to bo afraid ot htm, but she was. "Ilut I" "You have known mo only four days," sho whispered fnlntly. "You can not know your mind." "Oh, when ono Is n prince," laughing, laugh-ing, "It takes no tlmo nt nil. I lovo you. I knew It was going to be when you looked around In old Ilauor's smithy." "Did I look around?" Innocently. "You cortnlnly did, for I looked around nnd saw you." "Ilut they say that I nm wild llko a young horso." (Lovo Is nlwnys finding somo argument which ho wishes to have knocked under.) "Not to me," ardently. "You may ride a blcyclo every day, If you wish." ''I'd rather havo an automobllo," drolly. "An airship, If money will buy It!" "They say my undo Bays that I nnt not capablo of loving anything." "What do I caro what thoy say? Will you bo my wife?" "Olvo mo n week to think It over." "No." (Sho liked that!) "A day, then?" "Not an hour!" (Sho liked this still better!) "Oh!" "Not half an hour!" "This Is almost ns bad as tho duko; you nro forcing mo." "If you do not answer yes or no at once, I'll go hack to Barschclt and trounco thnt fellow who struck me. 1 can do it now." "Well but only four days " "Hours! Think of riding together forovcrl" Joyous'y taking a step nearer. "I Jaro not think of It. It Is all so llko a dream. . . . Oh!" bursting Into tears (what unnccountnblo beings worn-nro!) worn-nro!) "If you do not lovo mo!" "Don't I, though!" Then he stnrtcd around the tablo- In pursuit ot her, In all directions, whllo, after tho manner of hor kind, sho balked him, rosily, star-eyed. Thoy laughed; and when two young peoplo laugh It Ib a sign that all goes well with tho world. Ho never would tell Just how long It took him to catch hor, nor would ho toll mo what ho did when ho caught her. Neither would I, had I boon In his place! "Hero's!" Bald tho prince. "It's n great world," added tho duko. "for surprises," supplemented tho prlnco. "Ho, HanBl A fresh cundlo!" And tho story goes that his sereno highness ot llarschelt nnn his highness of Doppelklnn wero found peacefully nslecp In tho cellars, long after tho sun had rolled ovor tho blue Carpathians. THE END. |